Why does yahoo require a minimum number of characters for answers?

It's an attempt to reduce the number of non-answers, such as "maybe" or "gfddsprtl"

To stop people from Point Gaming and putting Useless Answers like IDK or Google It or thanks for the 2 Points or people Not Attempting to Answer the Question and just put Yes or No ETC

42.............

They want more detailed answers instead of simple one-word answers.

As mentioned a number of times already since the minimum was initiated, here in the Yahoo Answers subcategory, having a character minimum (which the site had years ago, then did away with) reduces simple point gaming answers as well as chat questions which typically only need a simple yes/no answer.

Considering the site was designed for knowledge seeking questions, it makes sense that the answers to such questions would require much more than yes/no so a 15 character minimum is far less than the length most quality answers to such questions would be.

Its supposed to cut down on the the number of point gaming wrong answers. Just add some punctuation marks to your Yes or no answer. YA has turned into a chat forum and gossip column, but Verizon probably will not update the community guidelines for years.

If you want to chat, you can sign up with as many Yahoo neo groups as you want.

Yahoo set up new ones in 2013. Verizon Media did NOT shut them down.

IDK.............